Danika Marcano, JD

I love being at a Big Ten school. There is a certain spirit that lives on the campus.

I participated in the ABA Negotiation Competition (finalist round) and ABA Client Counseling Competition. I also tried out for PAD Mock Trial. The preparation for each took a lot of time and imagination. The real-time feedback from local attorneys and judges better prepared me for oral arguments during second semester legal writing. I would definitely do it all again! I also traveled with Student Legal Relief for the service trip in New Orleans over winter break. While there, I interned at Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office. I enjoyed observing trials and reviewing discovery. This experience allowed me to understand litigation in a new way. Finding healthy ways to de-stress is necessary for survival! In addition to school activities, I often explore Champaign/Urbana with classmates. We go to yoga classes and farmers markets. We also ran the Illinois Marathon series; I ran the half-marathon. You can truly ‘choose your own adventure’ with all that U of I has to offer.